Leadership Training Meetings

Last week we held three days of leadership training meetings. Those invited were district leaders, zone leaders and sister leader trainers. President Wagner, myself, Sister Wagner (our daughter) and the assistants did most of the training but were also joined by Elder Brighton and Elder Vergara in Guadalajara, Elder Turley and Elder Casas in Tepic and Elder Upchurch and Elder Carbó in Colima. Also teaching were Sister Lopez, Sister Flores, Sister Reynoso, Sister Bernal and Elder Fortney.

Everyone did an exceptional job. We are so blessed to have such great missionaries in our mission.

Our focus was on weekly planning and how to carry out a district and zone class. Included in the training was how to do practices, ideas for language study, helping people better understand the Book of Mormon, asking for references, baptismal challenges and inviting someone to pray.  So, yes! It was a lot!!

Sister Wagner (Hija) reviewed both Spanish and English vocabulary with a very fun game. The words were on a chalkboard and when she called out a word in one language, a person from each team had to race to the board and hit the word--in the other language. So if she said, "yellow" they would have to hit the paper that said, "Amarillo".  We had a lot of fun with that game, although it got a bit crazy.

In another activity we used pictures to help tell the timeline of the Book of Mormon. My friend Cherie Clark from Florida came up with this idea back when we were teaching seminary together about 20 years ago. I just changed the wording to Spanish. We hope that the pictures can be used in family night lessons as well as when the missionaries introduce the Book of Mormon to people for the first time.

In addition . . .the Area Presidency here in Mexico has asked that we teach planning better to our missionaries. We gave each of the missionaries a large sheet of paper that will help them better plan their week and then together they practiced doing it. Our hope is that with better planning our missionaries can also have a deeper sense of urgency for the work. (Most are really good already, but there is always room for improvement.)

The pictures below are of some of these activities. They are in order of when they were taken--and so divided by area--not by activity.

Enjoy!!

Listening intently to planning instructions. That paper in front of them--the long one--is the one the mission is now using as a planning tool.

Two of our great sister leader trainers

 And they are off!!

 The battle of the redheads. I am thinking long legs in this case is a plus.

 Will he be a gentleman or just go for the win?

 Teaching the Book of Mormon Timeline

 Sometimes you just have to get right down on their level. :-)

 Glad to see after a long day of training they were still smiling.

 Of course they also got their mail and supplies so that may have had something to do with it.

Day Two--Back to planning.

Right on!!

 I am pretty sure Sister H didn't need the help the zone leaders were giving her!! That was very nice of them though--even if it really was cheating.

 Here the missionaries are lining up for a different game using questions to ask for references. The assistants were in charge of this one and did a great job.

 Nothing like a little brotherly love. . . or should I say, "elderly"?

 Putting the timeline in order

 Assistants--past and present.

 Day Three--I think the game got a little carried away here.

 Run, run!!

 I love it when the sisters teach. This was from a lesson on how to do practices.

 Back to the assistants game . . . have to make sure they line up just right.

So who do you think has the quicker reflexes? Yep! President Wagner! Elder Fox gave it a good try though. 

 A quick lunch of Subway.

 And then back to work with the timelines. First they put them together  . . .

 And then they practiced teaching it.

 And once again it is nice to see happy faces after a long day of training.

 It is always nice to stand out in a crowd.:-)

 The gap in the middle is for Elder Grantham who couldn't be found at the time the picture was taken.